Days of Rage - and it's not over yet!

People march on Gadaffi after Friday prayers


Around 50 people attended an inspiring meeting in Brighton last night to hear about the Middle East insurrections.  Well done to the UCU for organising it at short notice.

There were eyewitness reports from Tahrir Square in Cairo from Egyptian student Hanna Elsisi, and John Rees from Stop the War.  We also heard from Libyan activist Abubaker Deghayes about the dreadful actions of a dying regime in Tripoli and about the Libyan Embassy demonstrations in London.  Abubaker reported that Gadaffi's mercenaries were turning anti-aircraft guns on protesters.

One of the most important messages that we heard was the revolution in Egypt was not over, and that the uprisings were spreading.  People are continuing to occupy Tahrir Square to demand the complete sweeping away of the old regime and for reforms.  We also heard of protests in Bahrain, Morocco, Iraq, Iran and even Saudi Arabia.  Martin Evans, a writer on Algeria, spoke about the fight of people in that repressed country against one of the most oppressive of the regimes.

People in Egypt have formed committees to runs services and keep society running, belying the myth that Arabs cannot rule for themselves without "strongmen" to tell them what to do.  John Rees told us a good trick for recharging a mobile phone while occupying Tahrir Square - it involves taking the front off a lamp post!

Links were made with the struggles in this country against tuition fees and cuts, and with the strikers in Wisconsin. People are losing their fear!